Cuckoo clock

ABSTRACT

A cuckoo clock having a bird-displacing mechanism which enables a normally closed aperture to open when the clock tolls a time and enables the bird&#39;&#39;s body to fully come out of the aperture. Said aperture is normally covered with a plate but when the clock tolls a time, said plate is projected outwardly in a horizontal plane from the casing which houses the clock mechanism. Then a perch plate for the bird slides forward in the horizontal plane, fully exposing the bird.

United States Patent 1191 Masuyama Nov. 11, 1975 CUCKOO CLOCK [76] Inventor: Isao Masuyama, 5075, Ohaza,

lshioka, Ibaragi, Japan 22 Filed: July 26,1974

21 Appl. No.: 492,248

[52] US. Cl. 58/12 [51] Int. Cl. G04B 21/08 [58] Field of Search 58/78, 12-13 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2574.704 11/1951 Paul et al 2,677,228 4/1954 Paul et al 58/12 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS l33 247 8/1929 Switzerland 58/12 Primary E.\'aminerLawrence R. Franklin [5 7] ABSTRACT A cuckoo clock having a bird-displacing mechanism which enables a normally closed aperture to open when the clock tolls a time and enables the birds body to fully come out of the aperture. Said aperture is normally covered with a plate but when the clock tolls a time, said plate is projected outwardly in a horizontal plane from the casing which houses the clock mechanism. Then. a perch plate for the bird slides forward in the horizontal plane, fully exposing the bird.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 11,1975 Sheet10f2 3,918,249

FIG. 2

U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet2 0f2 3,918,249

CUCKOO CLOCK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In conventional cuckoo clocks, when the clock tolls a time, the head and face of a bird appears in an aperture provided in a cover plate of the housing of the clock, with the major portion of the body of the bird being positioned hidden inside the casing of the clock. However, the bird which is always inside the clock housing is neither attractive nor gives a sufficiently vivid impression to a viewer. Yet, there has never heretofore existed a cuckoo clock which enables a bird to fully come out of the housing when the clock tolls a time.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide greater reality to the cuckoo clock as well as providing a greater attractive quality to the clock itself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention,there is provided a cuckoo clock which comprises a bird-displacing mechanism so adapted that when a normally closed aperture is opened at the tolling or striking of time, substantially the entire body of the bird is fully exposed and is positioned outwardly of; the aperture, perching itself on a cover plate which is also exposed to the out- 1 side of the aperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the cuckoo clock according to the present invention, wherein,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of the clock of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of the clock;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the part shown in FIG. 2; and,

1 FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the essential part as viewed in the direction of arrow 12 in FIG. 3 with portions removed for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 generally represents a casing which houses therein a clock mechanism, and also includes a frontal cover plate, 2 a window aperture 3 in the cover plate, 2 a window 4, a bird, 5 a perch plate 6 onto which the bird 5 is attached and a clock dial plate 7.

Reference character 8 designates a first weight for actuating the hands of the clock. Reference character 9 designates a second weight for sounding a whistle at tolling time and reference character 10 represents a third weight for causing the bird 5 to move in and out of the casing 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 4, there are shown a frame 11 attached to the casing 1, a support 12 attached to the frame 11, and four rollers 13 mounted on the support 12. Therollers 13 are each provided with an annular groove proximate the mid portion, thereof so that the perching plate 6 for the bird 5 may slidably move in the horizontal direction as viewed in FIG. 2, with its side edges engaging the grooves of the respective rollers 13.

Rigidly attached to the perching plate 6 are two pro jections 14, through which passes a shaft 15. One end of a connecting rod 16 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 15, while the other end of the rod 16 is rotatably mounted on a crank pin 17.

As it is best seen in FIG. 3, a chain 18 1 to which the weight 10 is secured, is trained about a chain wheel 19 5 journaled in the frame 11, the aforesaid weight 10 serving as drive for the bird 5 to move in or out of the casing and through the aperture 3.

Rigidly mounted on the shaft of the chain wheel 19 is a gear, which is in meshing relation with a pinion 21. Mounted on one end of the shaft of the pinion 21 is a crank arm 22, on the other end of which is rigidly attached the crank pin 17.

Rigidly mounted on the other end of the shaft of the pinion 21 is an intermediate or idler gear 23, on the reverse side of which is attached a pin 24, as best seen in FIG. 4.

An inverted, generally V-shaped forked bracket 25 is rotatably mounted on the frame 11 in a manner such that an opposite or free end of the forked ankle bracket 25 comes to bear against the pin 24. The position of the bracket 25 with respect to the intermediate gear 23 is such that opposite ends of the forked bracket 25 are positioned in diametrically opposite points relative to the intermediate gear 23.

A Z-shaped lever 27 is mounted on a shaft 26 of the bracket 25, and has a free end engaging an L-shaped rocker arm component 31 by way of a channel member 28, a vertical shaft 29 and a forked lever 30. The L- shaped rocker arm component 31 is adapted to be actuated by means of a clock mechanism (not shown), at a given time, for example, at one oclock, two oclock or three oclock or every 30 minutes. A torsion spring 32 shown best in FIG. 2 acts to normally urge the window 4 in the closed position.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a butterfly member 33 and a whistle 34.

With the mechanism thus described, the bird 5 is caused to move so as to appear in or disappear from the aperture. The operation of the mechanism will now be described. It is assumed that the bird 5 is initially positioned inside the casing 1 and the window 4 is kept closed by the spring 32, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2. At the preselected tolling time, usually on the hour, the rocker arm component 31 is actuated by the clock mechanism (not shown). The movement of rocker arm component 31 causes the bracket 25 to move by way of the forked lever 30, the vertical shaft 29, the channel member 28, the Z-shaped lever 27 and the shaft 26. Thus, the pin 24 is released from engagement with the end of bracket 25. The weight 10 acts on the intermediate gear 23 by way of the chain wheel 19, the gear 20, and the pinion gear 21 to turn the same.

Accordingly, when the pin 24 provided on the intermediate gear 23 is disengaged from the end of the bracket 25, the intermediate gear 23 is caused to rotate substantially through and when the pin 24 on the intermediate gear 23 engages the other end of the bracket 25, the rotation of the intermediate gear 23 is stopped. During the above movement, the crank arm 22 completes a rotation through 180. Thus, the perching plate 6 is urged outwardly of the aperture 3 due to the connecting rod 16, thereby forcing the window 4 downwardly, whereby the bird 5 attached to the perching plate 6 is fully exp6ed and is positioned substantially completely outside of the frontal cover plate 2. This is shown by phantarn line in FIG. 2. Concurrently comprising:

with the bird-s appearance outside the aperture-3, the whistle 34 is sounded to toll a given time;

'Upon completion of the time, announcement, the

rocker arm component 31 is again actuated, tomove the bracket 25, whereby the pin 24 is released from the other end of. bracket 25 and the crank arm 22 rotates nearly through 180. The rotational movement is transsmittedto the connecting rod 16, whereby the connect- Althoughvthe cuckoo clock of the present invention is so arranged that when the bird is exposed from the aperture 3, the whistle, 34 is sounded for tolling a time, no description is given as to the operation of the whistle 34, because it has no direct relation to the present invention.

The present invention utilizes a crank mechanism to cause the bird toadvance in or retract from the aperture, However, such mechanism for displacing the bird is not to be understood as limitatjve tothe crank mechanism, since one may avail himself of equivalent mechanisms, such as a pantograph mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a spiral screw mechanism and the like. i

i What is claimed is: I

1. In a cuckoo clock, a bird-displaying mechanism a clock housing having an aperture in the frontwall thereof; H g v door means pivotally mounted on'said front wall adjacent said aperture to move between a first position closing said aperture and a second position opening said aperture, said door means including means biasing said door means to said first position; i i

a bird;

plate means supporting said bird;

means constraining said plate means to slide between a first position in which said bird is completely concealed behind said closed aperture and a'second position in which said bird is substantially completely exposed exteriorly of said housing, said plate means moving said door means from said first vposition to said second position and moving said bird through said'aperture while sliding between said first and second positions;

drive means for reciprocally sliding said plate means y from said first position to said second position comprising a gear train, a rotatable crank arm connected at one end to a shaft of said gear train and rotatably coupled at the other end to a first end of a connecting rod, the second end of said connecting rod being rotatably, coupled to said plate means;

locking means coacting with, said gear train to permit said crank arm to rotate through 180 increments and to lock said gear train at the ends of said increments, said ends of said increments corresponding to said plate being positioned in said first and second positions, respectively;tand 7 means for releasing said locking means at preselected time intervals, whereby said bird is displayed from said first position to said second position and back to said first position at the tolling time of said cuckoo clock.

2. The bird displacing mechanism of claim 1, wherein there is further included a rocker arm pivotally coupled to the gear trainof the clock for angular displacement thereby at preselected tolling times and a linkage system comprising a forked lever in engagement with and driven by said rocker arm, a shaft secured to and movable together with said forked lever, said shaft being I angularly movable about its own longitudinal axis, a slotted, channel member secured to said shaft and an- ,gularly movable together with said shaft and a Z- shaped lever having a first end positioned in and driven by the slot in said channel member, the opposite, second end of said Z-shaped lever being drivingly secured to said locking means.

3. The bird displacing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said locking means comprises a V-shaped bracket secured proximate the apex thereof to said second end of said Z-shaped lever at said output end of said linkage system and a pin integral with the portion of the geartrain that is engaged and disengaged, said pin being arranged to sequentially and alternately abut the two free ends of said V-shaped' bracket.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 391F21 DATED ovember 11, 1975' INVENTOR(S) Isao Masuya a It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Page 1, left column, add:

-- 5g For-eign implication Priority Data uly 30, 197 Janan Lr8-=l563 Signed and Sealed this second Of March 1976 AIICSI.

RUTH C. MASON Arresting Officer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3918219 DATED November 11, 1975 INVENTOR(S) Isao P'fa-suyaf a lt is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Page 1, left column, add:

-- [3 97 Foreign implication Friority Data July 30, 1973 Janan LLE-fillfi} Signal and ,Scaled this second Day of March 1976 [SEAL] r Attest:

RUTH C. MASON Arresting Officer 

1. In a cuckoo clock, a bird-displaying mechanism comprising: a clock housing having an aperture in the front wall thereof; door means pivotally mounted on said front wall adjacent said aperture to move between a first position closing said aperture and a second position opening said aperture, said door means including means biasing said door means to said first position; a bird; plate means supporting said bird; means constraining said plate means to slide between a first position in which said bird is completely concealed behind said closed aperture and a second position in which said bird is substantially completely exposed exteriorly of said housing, said plate means moving said door means from said first position to said second position and moving said bird through said aperture while sliding between said first and second positions; drive means for reciprocally sliding said plate means from said first position to said second position comprising a gear train, a rotatable crank arm connected at one end to a shaft of said gear train and rotatably coupled at the other end to a first end of a connecting rod, the second end of said connecting rod being rotatably coupled to said plate means; locking means coacting with said gear train to permit said crank arm to rotate through 180* increments and to lock said gear train at the ends of said increments, said ends of said increments corresponding to said plate being positioned in said first and second positions, respectively; and means for releasing said locking means at preselected time intervals, whereby said bird is displayed from said first position to said second position and back to said first position at the tolling time of said cuckoo clock.
 2. The bird displacing mechanism of claim 1, wherein there is further included a rocker arm pivotally coupled to the gear train of the clock for angular displacement thereby at preselected tolling times and a linkage system comprising a forked lever in engagement with and driven by said rocker arm, a shaft secured to and movable together with said forked lever, said shaft being angularly movable about its own longitudinal axis, a slotted, channel member secured to said shaft and angularly movable together with said shaft and a Z-shaped lever having a first end positioned in and driven by the slot in said channel member, the opposite, second end of said Z-shaped lever being drivingly secured to said locking means.
 3. The bird displacing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said locking means comprises a V-shaped bracket secured proximate the apex thereof to said second end of said Z-shaped lever at said output end of said linkage system and a pin integral with the portion of the gear train that is engaged and disengaged, said pin being arranged to sequentially and alternately abut the two free ends of said V-shaped bracket. 